AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC) Hits New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

AGNC Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:AGNC)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $11.68 and last traded at $11.6550, with a volume of 5293685 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $11.57.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on AGNC shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of AGNC Investment from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 27th. Barclays lifted their target price on AGNC Investment from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of AGNC Investment in a report on Monday, December 29th. BTIG Research downgraded shares of AGNC Investment from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Jones Trading restated a “buy” rating and set a $10.00 target price on shares of AGNC Investment in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $10.41.

AGNC Investment Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 0.31 and a quick ratio of 0.31. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $10.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $10.07. The company has a market cap of $12.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.46 and a beta of 1.36.

AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 20th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.38 by ($0.03). AGNC Investment had a return on equity of 18.84% and a net margin of 24.40%.The business had revenue of $836.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $466.39 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.43 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that AGNC Investment Corp. will post 1.61 EPS for the current year.

AGNC Investment Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 12.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 30th. AGNC Investment’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 214.93%.

Insider Buying and Selling at AGNC Investment

In other news, CEO Peter J. Federico sold 45,798 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.27, for a total transaction of $470,345.46. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,557,401 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,994,508.27. This represents a 2.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AGNC Investment

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AGNC. GoalVest Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in AGNC Investment during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Red Tortoise LLC boosted its position in shares of AGNC Investment by 377.4% during the 2nd quarter. Red Tortoise LLC now owns 2,764 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 2,185 shares in the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp bought a new position in AGNC Investment in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its position in AGNC Investment by 110.7% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 3,251 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,708 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI boosted its holdings in shares of AGNC Investment by 100.9% in the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 3,365 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 1,690 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 38.28% of the company’s stock.

AGNC Investment Company Profile

AGNC Investment Corp. is a self-managed real estate investment trust (REIT) that primarily acquires and manages a portfolio of residential mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by U.S. government-sponsored enterprises such as Ginnie Mae, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The company employs a leveraged total return strategy, borrowing against its securities to enhance income potential while using interest rate hedges to manage risk. AGNC’s investment objective is to generate attractive monthly dividends and long-term capital appreciation for its shareholders.

Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, AGNC focuses exclusively on U.S.